Allie Meers spent more time in the nurses office than in class these days, it seemed. Sitting on the little cot designated for students, she waited for the nurse to come back to the office after she'd been called out to the playground proper to help another student who was, arguably, in worse shape than Allie was currently. After all, all that was wrong with Allie was a few scrapes from when she'd fallen this morning. Or, rather, been pushed down. Same story as every day, she'd been chased by two older girls from the nearby middle school who'd made her their primary target thanks to her odd behavior, and by odd behavior, this meant primarily her attempts to practice magic.
Ever since Allie had gone to that birthday party and met The Marvelous Marcie, she'd been enamored with magic. Now, being 11, she had recently gotten a magic kit for her own birthday, and had spent every waking moment that she wasn't doing schoolwork practicing magic. The magic kit had come with a VHS tape, performed by a man who simply went by the name Mr. Magic, and Allie had damn nearly worn the tape out already she'd studied it so much. Sitting outside on the bench near the playground, after escaping the nurses office, Allie was now re-reading the little pamphlet that had also come with the kit when her cousin, Megan, sat down beside her. "Do you wanna come over this weekend?" Megan asked. "Okay," Allie said, not even looking up from her pamphlet. "What are you reading?" Megan asked, scooting closer so she could see. "Mr. Magic's Guide To Trickery," Allie said, "he teaches you how to do very basic magic tricks, and then you can use those to learn how to do more advanced ones." "Maybe we could try them," Megan said, sipping on her juice box, causing Allie to look over at her. "Yeah?" Allie asked, "we could get costumes!" And with that one little spark, an entire identity was born. Allie and Megan grew up with eachother, just down the street from one another, and as neither had any siblings, they spent all their free time - or at least Allie's free time, seeing as Megan did have friends - together. Megan didn't mind though, Allie was her best friend, and she loved spending time with her. They often had entire weekend slumber parties, which would progress all the way through college, and would even eventually move to Vegas together to pursue magic as a career as a team. But before any of that could even be a remote possibility...first there was the talent show. *** "I'm buying a tiger," Allie said as she and Megan sat on Megan's back porch, sharing a cigarette while Megan's husband, Jeff, took care of Lake inside. Megan's brow raised in surprise, but she just shook her head and chuckled. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she replied, "eventually it all comes down to big animals. That's where the real money is." "It's more that it's, like, a rite of passage," Allie said, taking the cigarette back from Megan and taking a long drag, "you know, it's Vegas, Vegas magicians use big cats, it's just...it's what you do. Besides, I always liked the idea. I remember seeing Mr. Magic do it on that VHS when we were kids, and it just always looked fun." "I guess, if you're not scared of being mauled," Megan said, the both of them laughing. "The odds of that are astronomical," Allie said, "but, sure, worthy to keep in mind." And though the odds were, indeed, astronomical, a few months later that's exactly what would happen. Allie had invited Megan and Jeff to her first real show - after months of practice - with her tiger, Domino, and as Megan had predicted, Allie was indeed mauled. And Allie had only gotten Domino because she felt she'd hit a ceiling in terms of progress, because without a partner, how much could she realistically do? So really, the mauling was Megan's fault, not that either of them would ever openly acknowledge this. But for tonight...for tonight it was just a fun little discussion. They had no way of knowing the repercussions. *** Allie and Megan were sitting in Megan's bedroom as they tried to figure out what would be the easiest trick to master first. The interlocking rings were a popular choice, of course, but so were card tricks, even if they required a bit of advanced sleight of hand. They continued to flip back and forth between multiple pages in Mr. Magic's Guide To Trickery, only to repeatedly doubt their choices. Allie, lying on her back on the floor, annoyed at Megan's indecision, was just staring at the ceiling. "Did you put all these glow in the dark stars up here?" Allie asked, pointing up. "When I was like 5, my dad held me up and had me stick 'em," Megan said, "they're nice. Pretty." "They are pretty cool," Allie agreed, "maybe we should use stars and moons and stuff on our costumes. They're kinda spooky and mysterious, right?" "Are magicians spooky?" Megan asked, and Allie shrugged. "I just think it'd look neat," Allie mumbled. And while they wouldn't exactly decide on a trick that particular day, Allie's remarks about stars and moons didn't go forgotten, because a handful of years later, when they started practicing professionally, Megan had costumes made for them, and incorporated the imagery Allie had suggested, based on the costumes they had made themselves in elementary school for the talent show. Course, they hadn't exactly decided to be in the talent show just yet, but it was a decision that was soon to be made, and it would change the course of their lives forever. *** Allie was lying in the hospital, semi conscious, hopped up on heavy painkillers and her arm completely bandaged. Machines surrounded her bed - some for drip feeding, some for helping her breath - and the soft quiet humming they sounds they produced made her feel oddly more at ease. She didn't want to blame Domino. She certainly didn't want to blame herself. If anything, she wanted to blame Megan. If Megan hadn't met her husband, if Megan hadn't had a child, if Megan hadn't walked away from the act, then Allie probably never would've gotten so reckless. Megan's level headedness had been the one constant thing keeping Allie from derailing their entire lives, but now that she was gone, that bumper was as well, and Allie had made increasingly dangerous and stupid decisions, finally culminating in one that outright nearly killed her. The door to the hospital room opened, and Megan entered. She looked like hell, which made Allie feel a little bit better. At least she wasn't the only one affected by this. Megan pulled a chair up to the bed and, resting her purse from her shoulder onto the back of the chair before sitting down, legs crossed, pulling her hair back into a messy bun, sighed. Allie rolled her head towards Megan, her face still bruised and scratched from the attack. "...for what it's worth," Megan said, "...it was a pretty good show up until that point." "That's nice of you to say," Allie whispered, her voice scratchy and rough. "And, I'm not speaking for myself personally but, there's probably some people out there who thought it was pretty good even when that happened. Some people are into some really sick forms of entertainment," Megan continued, making Allie laugh, or laugh as best as she could before coughing; Megan smiled weakly and looked at her bandaged arm, hanging from a sling, before asking, "does it hurt?" "It nearly got ripped in half, what do you think?" Allie replied. "...it was like...some form of fucked up karma," Megan said quietly, and that was the closest she ever got to taking responsibility for what had happened, even if it wasn't entirely her fault. Allie, and Allie knew this herself, should've known better than to try something so iffy. A tiger? Seriously? "Have you talked to my mom and dad?" Allie asked, and Megan, lowering her brow in confusion, shook her head; Allie's eyes softened as she said, "oh...because they haven't come by." This hit Megan like a truck. Certainly they didn't exactly live nearby, but to not even show up? Were they that ashamed of her career? It was just goddamn magic, after all. Or was it just too emotionally challenging to process what had happened? To see it up close? Were they coping by keeping a distance? Still, that wasn't an excuse for not coming to see your own child after they were mauled by a tiger before a live audience. "...that's...despicable," Megan said, reaching out and putting her hand on one of Allie's sheet covered legs, adding, "that's...I'm so sorry." "You're the only one who's stopped by," Allie said, before starting to cry. It was in this moment that Allie realized she had no real friends. Even the person she had assumed most of her life had been her best friend - her own cousin with whom she'd spent years fine tuning and honing her skills with - hadn't really been her friend. At least that's how it felt. She was completely alone. So fine, she thought, if she was going to be alone, she was going to do whatever she wanted. Screw the consequences, right? When you have nobody depending on you, you might as well act how you want. But that wouldn't last forever. Eventually someone would depend on her, and she would have to get her shit more or less together. But for right now... ...for right now she felt like they were just the same little girls who'd once been in school, learning magic, unsure of what horrors the future held. *** Megan, surprisingly, wasn't the one who was nervous about joining the talent show. If anything, she was far more interested in the social accolades it might bring. Allie was the one who had problems performing in front of others. Oh sure, they'd done little tricks here and there for their respective parents, a few friends, a teacher or two, but this was an entire audience of their peers, peers who, let's face it, generally weren't the most receptive to children with unconventional interests. How had Megan even talked Allie into this? Pacing backstage, going on in scant moments after weeks of practice, Allie herself couldn't understand how things had come to this point. She wanted to do magic, sure, but she never really considered the fact that you often had to do these sorts of things in front of large crowds of people. She leaned against the wall, tugging her cape Megan's mom had made for them tightly around herself, and shut her eyes tightly. She could hear the music from another students act - likely a dance number, as that was what most kids did - and the cheering that went along with it, and that only made her all the more scared. "Are you okay? You look bad," Megan asked, as Allie opened her eyes only to find her cousin, also in costume, standing in front of her. "I'm...scared," Allie said quietly, almost ashamed to admit it. "Why are you scared? We worked so hard to do this! Now's our chance to prove it!" Megan said happily. To Megan, it seemed like it was something bigger, but to Allie, it had just been a way to do something with her cousin. Something just for the two of them. The tables would turn on this eventually, of course, with Allie being the one who'd wind up having a full on career in the arts of magic, while Megan would retreat back into civilian life, almost as if she were ashamed of what she'd done in the field. But for right now, Megan was the driving force between them in getting others to notice their skills and talents and abilities. And yet, when the time came for them to go out on that stage, they excelled beyond their wildest dreams, and everyone else's expectations. They made a great team, and this would only be further proven as the years went on. A few weeks after this moment, Allie sat down and wrote a letter to Mr. Magic, using the address given on his VHS. In it, she talked about how much his work meant to her, and how he'd inspired her to do magic herself, and how she wanted to be just like him. A few months later, she surprisingly got a response in the mail. In it, Mr. Magic wrote: "Dear Allie, thank you for your kind words! Knowing that I can inspire the youth of today to attempt something as old fashioned as magic, when there's so many other far more interesting things out there to do, makes me feel like what I do really does matter. I hope you continue, and reach heights you could only dream of. I believe in you. I have enclosed with this letter a signed photo. Your friend, Mr. Magic" Allie hung it on the wall of her bedroom, and when she got each subsequent living space in Vegas - finally landing in the suite she was in now - she made sure that this was always the first thing put up on the wall when she got settled in. The photo and the letter were framed side by side, and Allie walked by it everyday, taking strength from the only person she'd ever truly admired and looked up to. Who knew that, years down the road, she'd have the same effect on someone herself that Mr. Magic had had on her. *** It had been a birthday gift. Zoe loved magic, and loved Allie Meer's magic specifically, having seen a few little snippets on special broadcasts about life in and around Vegas, focused specifically on the arts and culture of the city. So when her birthday came around this year, she asked her parents to take her to see Allie's show, and what a show it would be, after all, she would have a tiger! That evening after the show, sitting in the backseat of her parents car, watching the streetlights overhead as they passed by, Zoe couldn't help but think about the show. She'd begged her parents to take her for her birthday, and what had she gotten? A spectacular once in a lifetime event where a woman was mauled by a tiger. She wasn't exactly listening to her parents talk in the front seats, but she could hear them whispering. "What an awful thing," her mother said, "god, those screams. I guess there's a reason most magicians don't use big cats anymore." "Poor woman didn't deserve that," her father chimed in, "I really hope she recovers well. God, and to think we took a child to this, that had to be awful to witness." But the thing was, it wasn't awful to witness. If anything, the excitement of the moment had convinced Zoe that this was the career she wanted, and from that moment on, she made a concerted effort to mimic her idol, Allie Meers. If only she'd known what the outcome of this would be. But at the time, she was just a little girl, and much like Mr. Magic had been to Allie, Allie was nothing but an inspiration to young Zoe Fitch, and it was why, even in the present, she couldn't entirely turn her back on Allie, regardless of her actions. Besides, she'd known Megan had done that. She wouldn't be another Megan. The last time someone had abandoned Allie, she'd been mauled by a tiger. What would happen if Zoe walked away too? *** Allie was walked into a room and told to sit, which she promptly did. Tropper plopped down a nice hot mug of coffee in front of her, before seating himself down across from her, beside Siskel. Allie hesitantly reached out, took the mug by the handle and sipped slowly, before reaching out and picking up a bear claw from the open box of donuts between them on the table. "So...you guys just wanted someone to have brunch with, or?" Allie asked. "Miss Meers," Siskel said, sighing slowly and cupping her hands on the table, "we didn't want to do things this way, but at this point, after all the wild goose chases, we felt we had no choice. We're sorry for the, well...well it was a kidnapping, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it." "You said you needed my help?" Allie asked, and Siskel nodded as Tropper opened his jacket and pulled out a white rectangular envelope, setting it on the table and sliding it across the table at Allie, who slowly took it, opened it and pulled out the contents; after glancing over them momentarily, she looked back up and asked, "...what is all this?" "They're receipts. They're proof of massive tax fraud, money laundering, embezzlement, everything under the financial crime sun," Siskel said, "and it all ties back to your boss, the owner of The Card Shark." "...wait, what?" Allie asked, "I thought...I thought you were after me for the whole, you know, governors son thing?" "We were, initially," Tropper said, "that was before we discovered his dealings with Tony, and other casino owners. But we need you, Miss Meers." "Need me for what?" Allie asked, visibly shaking. "We need you to help us arrest the governor of Vegas," Siskel said. That, Allie had to admit, wasn't what she had been expecting.
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"Why are these people in our apartment?" Olivia asked Benny in their bedroom.
Allie had explained it so succinctly, but could Benny replicate her reasonings to someone not as involved? He sighed and ran his hand down his face, sighing. Ever since getting involved with Allie again, he knew she'd be trouble, but at the same time, he'd wanted to get back at Tony for how he and his company had treated not just Benny, but also Olivia. She sat down on the bed beside him and put a hand on his thigh, causing him to look up at her and smile. "Nobody knows we're planning this together," Benny shrugged, "I guess...I guess she figured this was the best possible spot to be. I'm sorry, I didn't wanna make things difficult, but...after the way Tony treated you, treated me, treated Allie..." "You're a good man, Benny," Olivia said, reaching up and touching his face, "please don't ever doubt that." She leaned in and kissed him between the eyes, and Benny blushed. He couldn't believe that he'd found a woman as wonderful as Olivia who loved him just as he was. Olivia stood up and pulled her uniform on, then turned and looked back at him as she picked up her purse. "I need to get to work," she said, "just...try not to get arrested while I'm gone, okay?" Benny nodded, chuckling as she exited the room. As she did, the door to the bedroom now open slightly, Molly peeked in and Benny looked up at her. "You need something?" he asked. "Can I use the bathroom?" she asked, "or...more specifically, do you have something for anxiety in your medicine cabinet? All my medications are at home." Benny nodded, and Molly came into the room as Benny stood up and headed into the adjoining bathroom. Molly followed, standing just outside the doorframe of the bathroom while Benny tugged open the medicine cabinet door and began rooting around inside, looking for the Xanax perscription he and Olivia had. Molly chewed on her nails nervously, looking at her feet. "...I...I'm sorry," Molly whispered, "I hope we...we aren't making your life any harder, or ruining your relationship or-" "Nah," Benny said, hand waving towards her, "don't worry about it." "...this isn't my fault, right?" Molly asked, on the verge of tears, and Benny stopped what he was doing and walked towards her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, you had no way of knowing she was using you," he said quietly, "this wasn't your fault. She's obviously an exceptional liar. And I know what it's like to so desperately want friends. Believe it or not, this charisma and charm doesn't exactly draw people in the way I might hope it would. Outside of y'all, Olivia is the only friend I really have. Then again I kind of like it that way. But when you're that lonely for company...yeah, it makes sense to believe anything they tell you." "She lied about her name, about her job, everything," Molly said, sniffling, tears running down her face. Benny sighed and pulled her in for a hug, rubbing her back. He stood there, just cradling this poor, distraught architect and tried to think of something comforting to say, but all he could come up with was a tighter hug. Meanwhile, out in the main room, Claire, Rachel, Allie and Zoe were all either seated on the couch, lying on the floor or pacing. Allie was standing at Benny's fridge, pulling a soda out of it when she heard Claire step behind her. "Yeah?" Allie asked, rising back up and popping the top of her soda open. "So this is your big plan? Hide?" Claire asked. "If these agents want me so bad that they're willing to send someone into someone else's life just to get close to me, then yeah, hiding seems to be the best option until we can get out of town," Allie said, taking a long sip. "What if it isn't them?" Claire asked, and Allie raised an eyebrow at this statement. "What do you mean?" she asked as she finished her drink, wiping her mouth on her sleeve, "what...what do you mean? Of course it's them, they're the only ones after me. They've been trying to get to me for months, for god sakes they released you to get to me." "And look how well that's worked out in their favor," Claire said, smirking, making Allie chuckle; Claire sighed and tossed her hair from her face, adding, "all I'm saying is let's not jump to somewhat obvious conclusions. Maybe they knew I wouldn't bite, so they had a bad up plan in place to get the information on your boss that they needed to move forward. Maybe you're in the clear now. They realized how frustrating you were to chase and they gave up." "You're kind of ruining my self esteem," Allie mumbled. "Your self esteem is based purely on your importance to authority figures?" Claire asked, laughing, "you're weird, Meers." Allie shrugged, but she didn't disagree. She was weird. It's how she'd gotten to where she was today. *** Kristin had gotten back to her apartment, took a shower, picked out a new outfit and redressed before gathering all the files she'd taken from Molly's home office. As she stood over her desk, buttoning the collar of her shirt, looking down at the papers, she felt a twinge of remorse. She really didn't want to hurt Molly. In the past few weeks, she'd gotten to really like her as a person, and Molly was, from what she could tell, the least deserving one among them to be hurt, but she'd been hired to do a job, and she couldn't back out. Once fully dressed, she picked up her cell phone and dialed, tapping her nails on her desk as she waited for someone to answer. "Hello?" they asked. "It's Kristin, it's done, I got it all," she said, "where do you want to meet?" "Just meet me at the usual location, we'll be waiting. You did good," they replied, "and what about anyone knowing?" "The architect got wind, and she might've run off to tell the others, but...honestly, I don't think it's fair to go after them," Kristin said, "especially the architect. She really wants nothing to do with any of this. She's just kind of stuck with these people." "Well, we'll decide that at a later date," they said, "I'll see you shortly." Kristin hung up and sighed, walking to her vanity mirror and looking at herself. She felt so terrible about what had happened with Molly, and she wanted so badly to fix it, but she knew she had a duty to uphold. She sighed and ran her hands down her suit jacket, slipped her feet into her shiny black shoes and then picked up the files from the desk. She tucked them under her arm and headed out the front door. She had a few errands to run before meeting with them, but soon...soon it all would be over. *** Zoe was sitting on the couch, staring at her shoes. How had this happened? How had her life become this? She could remember the first day Tony introduced her to Allie, and how excited she'd been to actually work with her childhood idol. And now? Now she was holed up in an apartment, fearing for her life and her freedom, and with a serial killer no less. Rachel St. Sebastian came back in from the patio, stubbing her cigarette out as she did, and seated herself on the couch beside Zoe. "You okay?" Rachel asked and Zoe shrugged. "...I don't think I've been okay for a long time," Zoe mumbled, "and besides, what would be the point of being okay at this point? There's no way out of this anymore. Especially now if the agents have the proof that they need." "Well, perhaps with that proof they won't need you anymore," Rachel said. "She still killed someone," Zoe said softly, finally looking up at Rachel, her eyes bloodshot, "...they don't just let that sort of thing go. She's going to have to eventually face the consequences of her actions, regardless of how attached to this other case she might be." "Zoe," Rachel said, sighing heavily, throwing a glance towards Claire before looking back at Zoe, "sometimes there are people in our lives that we'd give everything for, but there does come a point where one has to ask themselves just how worth it going down for them really is. Is Allie really worth throwing your life away for? You've done nothing wrong up to now. If anything, you're an accomplice, and an unwilling one at that. Just something to think about." Zoe nodded, looking towards Allie as she and Claire continued to have a hushed discussion in the kitchen area. Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Benny and Molly were lying on the bed staring at the ceiling To help Molly not feel so alone, Benny had taken a Xanax too, and now they both were rather calm and serene. "I used to think that I'd build something amazing," Molly said, "like...something nobody would ever dream could be built." "But you have," Benny said, "I mean, they're just casinos, sure, but look at how cool they are compared to the others. And a casinos big draw - not that anyone else will ever admit this - is its visual. It has to be visually alluring to pull you in, entice you to spend time and money there. You did a great job." "Yeah but I didn't want to build casinos," Molly replied, clearing her throat, "I kind of wanted to build libraries or...or schools. Something that would be amazing but also serve a truly good purpose. I wanted to be a force of good. Not a tool of greed....you know what I'd really like to build now? A house. Just a...a beautiful little home somewhere where nobody could get to it. Far away from everyone and everything. Something beautiful in its simplicity. That's what I want to do." Benny rolled onto his side, Molly doing the same, the both of them facing one another now. "Then build one," Benny said, shrugging, "get some land, somewhere kind of remote and off the grid, or as off the grid as one can concievably get in this day and age, and build one. What's stopping you?" Molly shrugged and sighed. "I don't know...fear, I guess, or guilt," Molly said, "seems like everything I have a hand in building eventually gets sullied. Why risk that again?" Benny reached out and put his hand gently on Molly's face, smiling warmly at her. "Sometimes you just...have to do something for you, you know?" he asked, "like...like today. You came and asked me for anxiety medication, and I didn't hesitate for a second to give it to you. You did that for you. There's no shame in being selfish. People like to make you think there is, but there's really not. People say 'oh self care isn't selfish!' but it absolutely is, because that's the definition of selfish is looking out for ones self, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that!" Molly blushed and nodded. She reached up and put her hand on Benny's hand, the two of them staring at one another for a few moments. She wasn't sure what came over her next, but before she knew it, she was leaning in and pressing her lips against his. It might've been the fear, the medication, but whatever the reasoning, she did it, and she was happy when he willingly kissed her back. After a few minutes, Molly pulled away just a bit, her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, "I...I don't...oh god, and you have a girlfriend and-" "We're an open relationship," Benny said, smirking, "you've done nothing wrong but require comfort." Molly started crying, and Benny pulled her against his chest, stroking her hair. "Shhh," he whispered, "you're safe. You're good. You're all good." Back out in the living room, Allie was pacing while she chomped on a rice biscuit while Claire sat on the kitchen counter filing her nails and Rachel and Zoe continued being on the couch. Finally, after a moment, Zoe stood up and headed to the coat pile, grabbing hers and pulling it on before heading for the front door. Everyone exchanged a look of concern before Allie finally rushed after her. She caught up with Zoe in the hall as she was walking briskly towards the staircase. Allie reached out and tugged at Zoe's arm. "Whoa whoa compadre, where you going?" she asked. "I just...I need to get out of here for a little bit," Zoe said as they continued down the stairs, Allie on their heels. "Well, we can't just LEAVE, Zoe, who knows who's out there looking for us?" Allie asked, causing Zoe to finally turn on the landing and face her. "YOU. Looking for YOU. This is your goddamn mess," Zoe said through gritted teeth, "they're not looking for me, or Molly, or Benny, they're looking for YOU. They released a fucking serial killer to get to you. They hired a fake showgirl to get to the vault plans. Look at how desperate they are! And it's you, Allie, it's always been you." A moment passed, as a couple walked silently by on the staircase. After they were gone, Zoe took a long, deep breath and rubbed her face. "Look," Zoe continued, "look...you're my idol. You're my best friend. I know you did what you did to protect me. I...I don't want to seem unappreciative-" "You have every right to be unappreciative," Allie whispered, taking Zoe by surprise. "Wh...what?" she asked. "You have every right to hate me for the things I've done," Allie said, almost in tears, "I've never had a real friend, Zoe. Nick, Megan, those were the closest I ever got, and one was a romantic situation and the other was family. You're the first person I've ever really managed to call a friend. A real friend. I didn't want to lose you to the same shit that pulled me apart. You deserved better than that. But even if my deeds were noble, you have every right to hate me for them. I've only complicated things further." Zoe nodded, then continued down the stairs, Allie following right behind her. As they reached the outside of the apartment complex, standing on the street, Zoe turned and looked at Allie again. "Can I just...I just need to go. To like...the suite or something," Zoe said, "I just wanna take a bath. I'll be in and out, discreet, and come right back. They won't search somewhere that obvious, because they know we're too smart to actually go there, so if we go there now, they won't ever think of it." Allie nodded and reached into her pocket, giving Zoe the key to the suite. Zoe put her arms around Allie and hugged her tight, then began to head across the street. As she reached the other side, Zoe turned back and waved at Allie, who waved back, smiling. For once, it felt like even if they were on shaky ground, they'd found some level of understanding. Just then, a car pulled up hard in front of Allie and the door opened. A man in a suit got out, grabbed Allie around the waist while she shouted and kicked and pulled her into the car. "Allie!" Zoe screamed, as the car just as quickly pulled away and sped down the road. Zoe chased after it for a moment, then stopped, standing stunned in the road. Allie was right. They shouldn't have left the apartment. They were just waiting. Inside the car, Allie finally was unhanded as she looked at the two people sitting across from her. "Who the fuck are you?! What the fuck is this?!" she shouted. "Miss Meers, I'm so sorry for such drastic action, but we need to talk," the woman said, leaning into the light, "my name is Agent Rebecca Siskel, and this is my partner Agent Roger Tropper. We know you killed the governors son, but hard as it might be the believe, that's not why we're kidnapping you." Allie furrowed her brow, confused. "Huh?" she asked, "What other possible reason could you-" "We need your help," Agent Siskel said, as the car rounded a corner, disappearing into the city outskirts. "I thought you were my friend," Molly whispered, wiping her eyes on her oversized sweater sleeves, "I thought...I thought you actually liked me, and wanted to know me."
"It's not personal," Kristin said, "Molly, it really isn't. I didn't wanna hurt you, especially after getting to know you, but...but you were the closest and easiest source to attach to. I'm sorry. You're such a sweet person, and you really don't deserve this, nor do you deserve what she's putting you through." Molly nodded momentarily, then furrowed her brow and shook her head, squinting angrily as she looked up at Kristin. "Actually no," Molly said, "you don't get to say that, because she might be a mess, but she's stuck by me. She's included me. She came clean of her own accord, I didn't have to stumble into it like I did with you. So yeah, she might be a mess. But we're a mess together, and you don't get to judge her." Kristin smiled weakly. "I certainly commend your loyalty," she said, "now if you'll excuse me, I have someone to get this information to." 7 HOURS EARLIER "Where are we going?" Allie asked, as Claire rolled down her window and flicked her cigarette out. "We're going somewhere we won't be bothered," she replied, "don't worry, nobody here is going to harm anyone. We're all on the same team. We just have some shit to talk through. Obviously something serious has come up if I've been released, you figure. Well, there's two FBI agents who are trying desperately to get close to you. Agent Siskel and Agent Tropper. They're the ones who got Sunny's body, and the tomb, before Rachel here snatched it back for us." "What...what do they want with me?" Allie asked, she and Zoe both looking confused at this. Rachel pulled the car into an empty casino parking lot. This casino, Dante's Inferno, had gone under a number of years ago, and while originally it had been slated to be imploded and replaced with something else, the deal fell through, and now the place sat decrepit and abandoned. The perfect place for someone like Claire to have a meeting. As Rachel parked and turned the car off, the girls all opened their respective doors and exited. Claire lit another cigarette, then offered one to Allie, who waved it away politely. "I only smoke hemp now," she said. "Wow, good for you," Claire said, non mockingly as she took a long drag then continued, "they want you, Allie, because they're certain you killed Sunny. But they also seem to think you might've had a hand in uncovering something for them. Something about your boss. What that is, I don't know. I just know they're curious. They specifically released me to talk to you and get you to meet them. But...you and I are two sides of the same coin-" "Except I don't kill people," Allie said, before nervously adding, "...purposefully." "Neither do I," Claire said, "when I'm on medication, I'm pure as snow. But my illness and the actions thereof do not define me, just as your own do not define you, and I think they recognize that and recognize that there's some merit to your decisions, some sort of contextual justification if you will. That's why they want you." "Yeah, well, good luck getting me to meet with them," Allie said sternly as she leaned against the car. A moment passed and nobody said a thing, as Rachel reached back inside and grabbed her water bottle, unscrewed it and took a long drink. Finally, Zoe cleared her throat, folded her arms and looked at Allie. "It might not hurt," she finally said, making Allie's eyes widen in shock. "Excuse me?" she asked. "It might not hurt. Hell, it might lessen whatever sentence you were going to get if you got caught," Zoe said. "I'm not gonna have gone through all the trouble to cover up a murder, steal back the corpse and dump it in a tiger pit, only to have someone else be harmed by proxy, just to then waltz into their office and say 'hey, sure I'll be your puppet!'. Zoe, do you have any idea how much effort it took just to keep us off the radar?" "And yet we're clearly not off the radar if they're releasing nearly convicted killers to approach us," Zoe said sternly. Allie pulled herself off the car and approached Zoe, the two of them posturing before eachother, each uncertain how the other might react; Zoe continued, "Allie...I think it's time. It's time to own up to it. Obviously something bigger is going on here than just catching Sunny's murderer. They say it has something to do with Tony?" she asked, glancing back at Claire. "That's the notion I got," she said, shrugging, "but I only heard snippets. I don't know what it could be or why. Just that they want you because you're close to him." "...how could you even suggest this?" Allie whispered, "after all I did for you-" "Did for ME? No. You killed Sunny to keep him getting me on drugs, something that is both admirable and unnecessary, and while I appreciate you thinking so fondly of my wellbeing, everything since then has simply been to cover up that act, an act YOU did. None of that was for me. I did nothing wrong. Yet here I am, going along with it, having secret meetings in defunct parking lots with serial killers to try and keep the lie alive! All I wanted was to perform magic with you!" Zoe was, and somewhat rightfully so, steaming mad. Allie, however, couldn't see past her own issues to recognize why, and instead she took it as a personal attack. "How dare you," Allie snarled, "how dare you even suggest I had some ulterior motive! Everything I've done has been to protect you!" "Oh grow up and stop trying to disguise your misdeeds as a defense of the wellfare of others!" Zoe shouted, "you killed a man! She killed many men!" "I did," Claire nodded, "I won't deny it." "You two have far more in common than we ever did," Zoe said quietly, and this set Allie off. She screamed and ran at her, tackling her. Claire and Rachel stood away a bit, just letting the girls have it out. Allie bit Zoe on the arm, and Zoe grabbed the back of Allie's head and yanked her head back before spitting in her face, then rolled out from underneath her. Allie wiped the spit from her face with her jacket sleeve, then grabbed Zoe's ankles and brought her back down to the ground. Allie then climbed on top of her and pinned her wrists down by her head and looked in her eyes. "....I never needed you," Allie whispered, "He assigned you to me, remember that, I could've gotten sober and been successful again without you." "Fuck that, you needed a catalyst, someone to care about because you couldn't care about yourself," Zoe replied harshly, "in fact that's why you do anything for anyone else, so you can avoid ever doing it for yourself. You wanna be a fucking martyr, go ahead, but I'm done being taken down to hell with you." Allie laid there atop Zoe for a moment, their eyes locked, and then she finally released Zoe's wrists and rolled off of her. Rachel approached and helped Zoe up, as Zoe wiped herself off from the grit and the dirt of the parking lot. Allie sat on the ground, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms hugging them. Claire walked slowly up before her and sat down, cross legged, holding out the remainder of her cigarette, and this time Allie happily took it. "Okay," Claire said, "clearly you two had some issues to resolve. I'm happy to have mediated during that frank exchange of beliefs. But Allie, you know I wouldn't steer you wrong. You came to me, one of the only people to come visit me in prison, and you asked for my advice. At a time when I was avoided, treated like a plague, you sought me out and asked me to help you. I'm not asking you to meet with these agents, I'm just telling you that they asked me to. You've done a rather spectacular job avoiding them on your own thus far. I'm here to protect you." "And how do you intend to do that?" Allie sniffled. "We'll just have to wait and see, I guess," Claire said, smiling, reaching out and placing her hand on Allie's scraped cheek before quietly adding, "but don't worry, when the time comes, I'm gonna be here for you." 4 HOURS EARLIER Molly had been gone all day. She'd been down at the casino, once again doing measurements, doing note taking, all the pre-building requirements that she had to get done before actually setting to work. Truth be told, however, that a lot of it was absolute nonsense. Nothing more than padding out time waiting for Allie and Benny to crack the idea of how to easily acces said vault. As Molly opened the door to her house and stepped inside, she sighed and let her hair down, then ran her fingers through it. She desperately needed a shower. Molly headed down the hall towards the bathroom, and that's when she heard the sound of someone rummaging through her home office. She slowly, cautiously, approached and opened the door, only to find, of all people, Kristin. "...are...are you robbing me?" Molly asked, stunned. "...this is awkward," Kristin said, standing up from the floor, papers scattered everywhere, as she smoothed out her skirt and sighed, "um, Molly, we need to have a discussion. This vault you're building, I need to know everything about it. You tell me what you know, what the plan is, and everything, and nothing will have to happen." Molly stepped back into the hall a bit, scared. "...who do you work for?" she asked. "Doesn't matter," she said, "I was asked by someone to do this, because I know you're friends with Allie Meers, and I know she killed a man that my employer wants justice for. They set me up to meet you. Told me what time you'd be leaving that day, what area of the parking lot you were in, everything. Molly, we can still be friends. Hell, I could get you out of all of this. But I need you to help me first." Molly chewed her lip, contemplating her options. Allie had created a world of trouble for her, and here this girl - a girl she apparently didn't actually know and therefore couldn't rightfully trust - was offering her a way out, if she just cooperated with her. Molly breathed heavily and shook her head. "God dammit," she whispered, before turning on her heel and running down the hall, only to feel Kristin's hands grabbing her hair and pulling her back towards her home office scant seconds later. Molly screamed and kicked, but Kristin was stronger, bigger, and had the advantage. There was nothing Molly could do now but see it through, and hope that, in the end, she'd be forgiven for whatever happened. 2 HOURS EARLIER Allie was sitting on the hood of the car with Rachel, while Claire attended to Zoe. Rachel had opened a can of seltzer water and she and Allie were passing that and a bag of chips back and forth between them. On occasion, Allie would glance back over her shoulder and peek at Claire and Zoe, wondering what they were talking about. "Why do you do whatever she asks?" Allie asked, looking at Rachel as she shoved her arm back in the chip bag. "Why does Zoe do whatever you ask?" Rachel questioned back, shrugging, "because we care about one another. Regardless of the toxicity of the relationship, we're all the other has, and...and the world is too scary to navigate on your own. I'm not saying it's healthy like this, but...fuck...it's not ideal the other way either." Allie sighed and nodded, understanding all too well her point. "Besides," Rachel said quietly, "I love her. I can't...I can't just shut that off. No matter what she's done, or has asked me to do, I can't just stop loving her. I know it's sick, I know it's...it's dangerous, but...fuck. She's all I ever wanted." Allie smiled. "That's actually sweet," Allie said. "And I think, deep down, you love Zoe. Not in the same way, but I know about you. Your relationship with your cousin. You see Zoe as a replacement in a sense, and you don't want her to leave like she did. You don't want to lose someone else. So you're doing everything in your power, even if it hurts her inadvertantly, to keep her here." Allie shrugged. "Maybe," she whispered, "or maybe she's right. Maybe I'm just bad." "Hey, you're the Astounding Allie, not the Awful Allie," Rachel said, making Allie giggle and blush. If there was one thing Rachel St. Sebastian was good at, it was making other girls feel better about themselves. 45 MINUTES EARLIER Kristin continued searching through papers and files, gathering everything she could that she thought was connected into one cohesive pile, as Molly sat tied to a chair with belts. "I thought you were my friend," Molly whispered, wiping her eyes on her oversized sweater sleeves, "I thought...I thought you actually liked me, and wanted to know me." "It's not personal," Kristin said, "Molly, it really isn't. I didn't wanna hurt you, especially after getting to know you, but...but you were the closest and easiest source to attach to. I'm sorry. You're such a sweet person, and you really don't deserve this, nor do you deserve what she's putting you through." Molly nodded momentarily, then furrowed her brow and shook her head, squinting angrily as she looked up at Kristin. "Actually no," Molly said, "you don't get to say that, because she might be a mess, but she's stuck by me. She's included me. She came clean of her own accord, I didn't have to stumble into it like I did with you. So yeah, she might be a mess. But we're a mess together, and you don't get to judge her." Kristin smiled weakly. "I certainly commend your loyalty," she said, "now if you'll excuse me, I have someone to get this information to." Kristin gathered everything she felt she needed and then exited. As soon as Molly heard the front door shut and the car start, she began wriggling to get free from the chair. She needed to get to Allie, and fast. She needed to tell her that the cops had someone who was hot on her tail. Molly scooted so much the chair collapsed to its side, taking her with it. As she lied there, sobbing, she continued to do her best to get free of the belts keeping her tied to the chair. If Allie could escape something, so could she. CURRENT TIME Claire approached the car, wiping her hands on her pants as Rachel and Allie looked up at her. The sun was starting to finally set, and the cool Vegas night chill was coming in. Allie zipped up her jacket, and Rachel finished drinking the seltzer then crushed the can as Claire stood in front of them. "I think I managed to smooth everything over," Claire said, "but...don't be surprised if she doesn't want to talk for a while." "I wouldn't blame her, no," Allie mumbled. "So we done now?" Rachel asked, "Can we get going? Cause I'm hungry and the sushi place is gonna close in-" Just then, they heard a car speeding towards the lot, and everyone glanced in its direction. Zoe even stood up and, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets, approached the car, though still keeping somewhat of a distance. The car swerved and veered into the lot, heading right towards them, and then came to a sudden jolting stop and just as everyones curiosity peaked, the drivers side door opened and out stepped a bruised and rough looking Molly. "Molly?" Allie asked, sliding off the hood of the car and approaching her quickly, putting her hands on her shoulders, "what the...how did you even know where-" "I drove around to every casino until I saw you here," she said, out of breath. "What happened to you?" Allie asked, reaching up and touching the bruise on her head above her right eyebrow, making her wince as she did. "It doesn't matter," Molly said, "Allie...they're coming for you. They've hired some...some private detective or something, and she...she took all my blueprints and papers for the vault and...and they're coming for you. For us. For everyone." Molly then glanced towards the others, her lip quivering, as she said softly "...we need to hide." "This, ladies, is a replica of Jackson Strange's transparent box," Benny said, slapping his hand atop it as Allie and Zoe sat on a couch in front of him. They were currently in Benny's loft, his girlfriend at work. Allie and Zoe exchanged a look and then looked back at Benny.
"Where did you even get this?" Allie asked. "Does that matter?" Benny asked, shrugging. "I'm just curious how one goes about procuring a transparent box," Allie said, "I mean, I get that we're magicians, but still, I can't imagine you can just call someone up and ask if they have them readily available. How hard was it to get this thing? How much did you pay?" "Listen," Benny said, "none of that matters. All that matters is I have it, okay? And now, it's up to us to-" "Does your girlfriend know you bought this?" Zoe asked. "Oh, that's a good question," Allie said, snapping her fingers and pointing at Benny, adding, "did she get mad when it showed up?" "What is wrong with you two?" Benny asked, annoyed, "we're committing a crime, here, why are you so stuck on how I got it? Who cares how I got it?! I got it! That's all that matters! Now, are you gonna help me figure out how to vanish in something everyone can clearly see through, or would you rather just ask me stupid questions?" "I kinda am having fun annoying you, honestly," Allie said, "but you're right, we should get down to business. So, what do you have to tell us about it?" Benny sighed and walked to the back of the box, unlatched it and pulled the back open, stepping inside, closing the entrance behind himself. Allie and Zoe leaned forward and looked confused. He wasn't visible. Somehow, despite walking inside of a seemingly transparent box, he wasn't visible. Benny then came back out and walked back around to the front of the box, grinning. "It's a two way mirror, inserted halfway," Benny said, "that's how he does it. There's a small section, just long and tall enough to conceal him in the middle of the box, where he can see out of, but nobody can see him. This gives him the illusion of having vanished. It's actually pretty simple, which isn't surprising, given he seemed pretty simple." "Someone sounds jealous," Allie murmured. "I'm not going to stoop to allow myself to be jealous of an idiot," Benny said, "the real question is...once he's hidden, how does he get out. That's the real trick, and if we can crack that, then we'll be golden." "...I'm gonna get some snacks. We're gonna be here a while," Allie said, standing up from the couch. *** Rachel St. Sebastian was lying on her side on her bed, staring at the wall. She'd never felt more conflicted in her life. She felt a hand creep up onto her hip and she tensed up. She knew Claire wasn't awake, she could hear her lightly snoring, but still...something about her being so close...though, how much closer could they get after last night, really? Rachel quietly slipped out of bed and pulled on some underwear and a loose shirt, then headed out the hall towards her kitchen. She started to make some coffee, and, standing there watching it drip, she thought how easy it'd be. Claire was sleeping. It wouldn't even hurt. She had all the necessary supplies downstairs. She could simply knock her out further with ether and kill her painlessly, and would anybody even care? She was a serial killer, after all. Rachel would probably be hailed a hero of some kind. She tapped her nails lightly on the countertip and bit her lip. But she loved her. She couldn't do that to someone she loved, someone who was finally reciprocating the feelings she'd long since had for her. That would just be plain sick. She suddenly heard moans from upstairs, and figured Claire was waking up. Rachel felt herself shift within her skin, almost purely out of fear. Why did she even come here? What could she possibly need from Rachel now? The coffee finished preparing, and Rachel quickly grabbed two mugs and filled them up, then headed back to the bedroom, where she found Claire sitting up in bed, and for a brief moment as she entered the room - seeing the morning early afternoon sun coming in through the half shut blinds and dancing on Claire's red hair - Rachel felt a pang in her heart of genuine adoration. She smiled and handed a mug to Claire, who happily took it and sipped it as Rachel seated herself back on the bed. "Did you sleep well?" Rachel asked quietly, and Claire nodded. After a few minutes of silence and drinking, Claire set her mug down on the bedside table, then climbed on her knees behind Rachel, putting her arms around her shoulders and nuzzling her neck with her lips, making Rachel shiver and blush, giggling like an adolescent teenage girl. "I need you," Claire whispered, and Rachel nodded. Who was she kidding. She would do anything Claire asked, no matter how toxic and one sided this relationship was. That's kind of what love does to a brain. It makes you stupid. *** "It just needs to appear like we were never there," Allie said, pacing circles around the box, "it just needs to seem like nobody came in or exited. That's why cracking this thing is so important. Because if it looks like anyone came in, the first person he's gonna suspect is Molly, because she's the only other one with knowledge of it. I don't want to put her in any further danger than she's already in." "That's noble of you," Zoe said, her and Allie exchanging an uncomfortable glance. Allie sighed and knelt in front of Zoe, putting her hands on her knees. "Listen, I didn't want to drag you into anything either, but you're my partner in magic, you're the only other magician whose skills I trust-" Allie started. "Uh, rude, in the room," Benny said from behind, shaking his head. "-but," Allie continued, "I don't want you to be involved in this either. After you help me crack this thing, you just go do whatever it is you want, okay? Leave the rest to Benny and I, because you deserve a break after what I've put you through. I'm sorry I have turned your life into a spectacle of crime, that's not something I ever wanted for you, and you deserve better from better people than me." Zoe was, admittedly, surprised at this statement. Her eyebrows raised, and a little weak smile broke out on her lips as she nodded. Allie was, if nothing else, at least maturing to recognize how her actions affected others. Being sober probably helped in that regard. "Well," Zoe said, standing up and smoothing out her skirt, "in that case...I think we should take a lesson from Occam's Razor, in that the simplest solution is often the correct one. If you want to get into something, it has to look seamless, that's the whole trick to the box, right? His disappearance is seamless. They might question how it happens, but they don't question that it happened. We need that level of acceptance. And how do you do that? With something that, just like the box, blends in with itself." Benny and Allie looked at one another, then Benny glanced back at Zoe and furrowed his brow. "Are you saying..." he asked. "Yeah," she replied, grinning, "fake wall. Think of the hangman illusion. You've got someone clearly about to be hanged, a real rope, a real stage, or at least real enough to be accepted as fact. Props that don't look like props are never questioned. That's why the box is so perfect, because it's designed to look like something we're all aware of the visual of. Nobody questions a box, and nobody..." Zoe said, putting her hand on the box now, smiling, "...questions a wall." *** Rachel St. Sebastian had never really had what others might call a 'successful relationship', and the fact that the closest she'd come thusfar was with a serial killer who ran a cult proved she wasn't going to anytime soon. In fact, for a majority of her life, Rachel had rarely had relationships at all. Despite being constantly chased after by other women, she wasn't all that interested in them most of the time, and the few she was were never interested in her in the same way. So Rachel St. Sebastian focused on the dead. She focused on those who couldn't judge her and, instead, would likely be grateful for her help. And this level of desperation for acceptance was becoming all the more clear with Claire's requests for help. "They want me to turn on her," Claire said, sitting at the kitchen table, sipping her coffee as Rachel made breakfast; Claire continued, "they want me to lure her somewhere where they can approach her, because they know she and I have spoken. The question is...should I? I have nothing but respect for Allie. I mean, let's face it, she killed a man and put him in a box, and I killed people and put them in walls. We're not so different. It'd be like turning on myself." "Mmm," Rachel said, flipping her eggs, "but...but she's not you, you know that, right?" "I'm well aware, yes," Claire said, lightening a cigarette and taking a long inhale, "but when you're so similar to someone, it's hard to want to hurt them without feeling like you're hurting yourself. Besides, she at least had noble reasons for what she did. I didn't. I was just sick." Rachel smirked as she seasoned her eggs and continued cooking. At least, if nothing else, it seemed Claire was acknowledging her faults and taking responsibility for them. That was progress. The lowest level of progress, but progress nonetheless. Everyone's got to start somewhere. "And why do you need my help, exactly?" Rachel asked over her shoulder. "Because I need a mediator. I can't risk exposing myself," Claire said, "I need to keep as low a profile as possible, which means I need you to set up a meeting between Allie and I. Please Rachel, I...I really really need you right now." Rachel blushed and plated her eggs, then plated some for Claire and sat herself and the plates down at the table. Rachel looked at Claire, who held her mug in her lap, both hands cupped around it and her eyes looking down at her legs. Claire seemed...uncertain of herself, and it wasn't something Rachel was used to seeing from her. Even when she'd known her to be on medication, Claire had always been confident, but now she seemed rather cautious. "...please Rachel," she whispered, sounding like she was going to cry, "you're the only one I have." "I got you," Rachel said, reaching out and touching her leg, smiling. Rachel would do anything for Claire, and that unrestricted loyalty terrified her. *** Allie was standing at the box while Zoe pulled her jacket on and looked back at her. Benny was in his kitchen, getting a drink. Zoe approached Allie and tapped her on the arm, causing her concentration to break and make her chuckle. "Sorry," Allie said, "lost in thought." "I'm gonna go," Zoe said, "Effie and I are supposed to have dinner together. You gonna be okay?" "Yeah, I'll be fine," Allie said, waving her hand at Zoe, "don't worry about me, you go and have a nice dinner. Tell Effie I said hi." Zoe nodded, hugged Allie and then exited the apartment. As the door closed, Benny walked back to Allie and the box, standing opposite of it from her, taking a long drink from the uncapped bottle of soda he'd gotten. After a moment Allie glanced up and their eyes met. "You sure about this?" Allie asked, and Benny shrugged. "Not really sure about anything to be honest, I don't have much self confidence," Benny said, making Allie chuckle as he added, "but Allie, if there's one thing I know, it's magic. You and I both know magic. Between the three of us, I think we can pull this off. Fuck Tony, he deserves to be taken down a notch." Zoe chewed on her lip and nodded slowly. "...Zoe's not coming," Allie said, making Benny raise an eyebrow in surprise. "She's not?" "She's not," Allie said, "I've done so much damage to her life. I can't make her go any further. Molly too. Once we get in, she's out. Are you absolutely certain you wanna be a part of this? You could go to jail." "I'm a magician, my life is already a kind of prison," Benny said, making Allie throw her head back and laugh. Allie hugged Benny, got her own jacket on, thanked him for getting the box and then headed out herself. As she got into the elevator and headed back down to surface level, she couldn't stop thinking about how they were going to manage to pull this off. It was going to be one hell of a stunt, if accomplished correctly. Her thoughts then turned back to Zoe, and she grimaced. All Zoe had wanted to do was perform magic with her idol, and what had Allie done to her life? Absolutely destroy it. Kill a man for her. Rope her into covering up multiple crimes. The gravity of the ongoing situations was starting to wear on her conscious. As she reached the bottom of the complex, and headed into the parking garage pulling her keys out, she heard Zoe suddenly and turned to see her standing there. "...what...I thought you left," Allie said, "What are you still-" "Come here," Zoe said quietly, and Allie nodded, following her. They walked between a handful of closely parked cars, like tins of sardines in a case, past pillars of varying numbers and letters, only to finally reach a small black car that was idling. Zoe and Allie stopped, and Allie looked at Zoe, confused, but Zoe just shook her head. The car door opened and out stepped Rachel St. Sebastian. "Oh," Allie said, almost sounding relieved, "it's just you. What...what are you doing here? How did you even know where I'd be?" "You're not a hard person to track down, contrary to the police's belief," Rachel said, standing by the drivers side door, hand on the top, "but I'm not the one who wants to see you. You guys should get in." Zoe and Allie waited a moment, then they walked to the car and, Zoe getting into the front passenger seat and Allie climbing into the backseat, Rachel climbed back into the drivers seat and slammed her door shut, starting the car up proper. Allie coughed and waved at the smoke that had filled the car, only to recognize Claire's face as she did so. Claire just smiled at her. "Hi Allie," she said. "...you're out?" Allie asked quietly, shocked. "We have a lot to talk about," Claire said, "Rachel, drive." Rachel pulled out of the parking space, reversed and headed towards the parking garage exit, heading off to god knows where. They didn't know at the moment the car hit the street, basking in the glow of the early evening sun, but in less than 24 hours, their whole lives would change drastically again. |
ABOUT
Allie Meers is what she dreamed of being since she was a little girl...a successful Vegas magician. The only problem now is she can't make all her problems disappear; Allie grapples with her strained relationship, crippling addictions and FBI agents on her tail, all while trying to stay at the top of her career. Archives
December 2023
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